DCFS supervisor in AJ Freund investigation has case continued to January

The former Illinois Department of Children and Family Services supervisor charged criminally in the death of AJ Freund, beaten to death last year by his parents, made a brief appearance in McHenry County courtroom Tuesday.

In the uneventful status hearing, Judge Robert Wilbrandt granted the defense motion to continue the case of Andrew Polovin, 48, of Island Lake, until Jan. 27.

Polovin and Carlos Acosta, formerly the case worker in 5-year-old AJ's case, face charges stemming from his death.

Polovin and Acosta each have pleaded not guilty to the charges of child endangerment to the health or life of a child causing health, causing circumstances endangering the health or life of a child causing death and reckless conduct, according to McHenry County court records.

Acosta has a status date set for Thursday.

The charges stem from the pair's actions or inactions after learning of a report of a large bruise on the child' hip from December 2018, months before AJ was murdered and buried in a shallow field.

The boy's parents, JoAnn Cunningham and Andrew Freund, have been convicted and sentenced to prison.